“Oh, you work in a botanic garden? How peaceful is that?” If you had a dollar for every time you fielded that question, you probably wouldn’t need to raise your membership prices next year, right? Join former San Diego Botanic Garden director of...

Learn how to create stories that evoke emotion and convey the magic of the garden experience to enhance your membership and inspire your donors. This highly interactive session will change the way you communicate about your garden and equip you with a...

What can you do to incentivize membership if your garden doesn’t charge admission? Or is it time to reconsider your free admission policy? The interplay between admissions and membership revenue can be complex. Two gardens have recently decided to...

Learn to mine your database for prospective donors and to create systems that increase staff efficiency and measure your Garden’s return on investment in your philanthropy programs. Using the successful work of the Atlanta Botanical Garden as an...

Learn the key parts of a gift agreement and gift acceptance policy in this session designed to equip you with the tools you need to review and establish these essential elements of a development program of any size. Participants will leave this session...

More and more, public gardens are looking to increased programming as a way of achieving their mission. These programs and events can be highly valuable tools for increasing membership and contributions, and for deepening engagement to move...

Managing a successful membership and development program requires informed leadership by a staff well-versed in all aspects of their program and the ability to educate institutional leaders about the necessary requirements of that program. A membership...

Using the symbiotic sustainability model as a framework, this research investigates how many and with which businesses top nonprofit organizations report partnerships. We examined the websites of the 122 largest, most recognizable U.S. nonprofits....

In this episode of What’s Next?, Randy and Kathleen Janus talk about social entrepreneurship and how it can be used to tackle some of society’s grandest problems. Also discussed in this episode is earned income, overhead costs, root-cause initiatives...

The Global Trends in Giving Report (givingreport.ngo) is a research project that seeks
to gain a better understanding of how donors prefer to give and engage with their
favorite causes and charitable organizations. Sponsored by the Public...

This webinar helps bust myths about major gift productivity! For example, did you know that more and more organizations are not tracking donor visits as part of their team performance metrics? This webinar addressed the reasons why (hint: it forms bad...

For the purposes of this study, we have broadly categorised the results of the activities of botanic gardens into economic, social and environmental impacts. Wherever possible, this Technical Review has highlighted case studies where impact evaluation...

When done thoughtfully, family programs can be a great way to expand your audience and visitorship, as well as increase Family Memberships and revenue. Among the topics discussed will be: a three-pronged approach to a family program (theme, tour, make-...

Learn about new botanical gardens projects under development in Fort Collins, Pittsburgh, and Santa Fe, cities of diverse populations, geographic regions, and cultural histories. Executive Directors from these institutions will discuss strategies for...

Providing alcohol can be a big draw for development events, but did you know it can also increase your audience base as well as attendance numbers for mission-based education programs? This session will help you determine whether alcohol should be the...

We are living in a day and age where big data is discussed in every newspaper, trade publication, or blog we read. Public gardens need to connect more with our customers, deepen loyalty, and generate more earned revenue. But how? This 60-minute, multi-...

Events are becoming increasingly important fundraisers and friendraisers for gardens of all sizes. This session will cover the nuts and bolts of creating a new event from the perspectives of three very different gardens—a large garden with a history of...

Sarah P. Duke Gardens and Atlanta Botanical Garden have engaged in successful capital campaigns to grow their gardens. Learn how to build and think creatively about a robust capital campaign from their successes and lessons learned. This presentation...

How can we captivate audiences through the bounty of our gardens? Food crops are one of the most approachable plant-related topics and can be a gateway to broader plant conservation discussions. Yet, how can we use these food crops and tell their...

Nonprofits are challenged with identifying audiences and understanding motivations. Finding ways to start a conversation, collect contact information, and encourage joining/giving is critical. Using data to uncover trends and point to opportunities is...